Father's Day Blues
by wolfypuppypiles
Summary: Written for a prompt sent to me on tumblr: tony and peter go to somewhere really really cold on a mission and peter somehow manages to fall into the freezing water and tony has to keep him warm until help arrives


Peter frowned down at the lake, watching the end of his fishing line bob in the water.

"So, what exactly are we doing here?"

Tony looked over at him, sitting beside him in the canoe. "You don't like fishing?"

The kid shrugged, but Tony could tell he was bored. "I've never done it before."

Tony sighed. "Yeah, me neither."

The trip had been planned so that Peter and Tony could have some time away from everything in the city. Peter could have a break from training, and school, and they could bond a little. Tony said it would be fun, but Peter wasn't buying it.

"I know why you're doing this, and you don't have to."

Tony wiggled his fishing line, wishing something would bite, so he didn't have to have the coming conversation. "Of course, we don't have to fish, we could just buy some, but I heard it's supposed to be relaxing. Aren't you relaxed?"

Peter's voice was quiet, sad, and Tony couldn't bring himself to look at the kid. "I miss him, but you don't have to do this. I know you're busy, so just drop me off the library, or at Ned's for however long you told May you'd have me, and I'll tell her we had a great time."

God, this kid made it difficult to do the whole 'ignore real feelings at any cost' thing that Tony had going. He wasn't ready to throw off the ruse just yet.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Why would May want me to take you out? Maybe, I just wanted to spend time with you. Why are you so suspicious?"

Peter kept his head down low, sounding miserable. "Because it's Father's Day."

Tony sighed. "Yeah."

The kid was right, May had asked Tony to take him out, to distract him, and for some reason he'd thought ice fishing was a good idea. What an idiot.

"Look, your Aunt was worried about you, and she asked me to try and distract you-"

Peter tried interrupting, frowning and grumpy. "I'm not some kid that can't handle one-"

But Tony wouldn't let him sulk. "I know you aren't! But you weren't the only one that lost your Uncle; today is hard for her too, Pete. She's spending time with her Dad, and she didn't want you to be alone."

Peter was silent for a moment, and Tony finally looked at him. Somehow, he managed to look even more miserable.

"She was so sad this morning, I could tell, but I didn't know what to say to her. Father's day has always been hard. My real parents are gone, but I always had May and Ben…and now Ben is gone too. And I thought the pain had started to go away but…seeing everyone with their dads, and seeing all the ads about the happy families just makes it more obvious that there's only me and May. I love her but…it hurts."

Tony's tongue always seemed to turn to lead in these situations, but when he saw the kid sniff and wipe his eyes with his sleeve, he couldn't say nothing.

"It's not just you two."

Peter looked up at him, surprised. Tony gave him a small smile. "You got me too, kid. And, I don't exactly know what you're going through; my dad wasn't the best, and we were never close, but he died and…today's always hard. I never really know what to feel. So, I was actually glad that your Aunt called. I didn't really want to spend today alone either."

Peter sniffed again, before surging towards Tony and wrapping an arm around him. Tony laughed and hugged him back.

"Hey, careful with your rod, don't drop it."

Peter smiled as he pulled back, and Tony felt something burn in his chest, at the sight of that smile. He'd never really understood peoples love for kids, especially teenagers with all that angst and rebellion, but dammit if he wouldn't do anything to keep that smile on Peter's face.

The canoe rocked a little, and they both readjusted their fishing poles. Tony cleared his throat.

"So, do you want to keep fishing or can we do something a little more exciting?"

Peter let put a breath as he groaned dramatically. "Oh, thank god. This is so lame, and…this lake really smells."

The canoe and fishing rods were put away, and the two, piled back into the plush car, starting their drive back to where Peter had seen an old observatory he wanted to check out.

"You know, if it's haunted I'm not going in. I can handle aliens but not ghosts."

Peter laughed. "You're scared of ghosts but not aliens?"

"I never said I wasn't scared of aliens, I just said I don't fight ghosts. You can't touch them!"

Peter's gaze fell out the window, eyes quickly finding trouble. "Well, yeah but they aren't even – Tony stop!"

His sudden yell, and thrust hand to Tony's shoulder almost gave the old man a heart attack, and he quickly stopped the car in the middle of the mostly deserted road.

"What?!"

He followed Peters gaze out the window, only seeing what it was, as the kid started undoing his seatbelt and throwing open the door. There was a family out for a play on a frozen lake, except their harmless fun had turned into a nightmare, and the ice was beginning to crack.

Peter ran for the lake, as Tony called for him and followed afterwards. There was a kid, around eight years old, in the middle of the cracking ice, his family trying desperately to rescue him.

Tony raced over and watched as Peter offered his help. The father of the child, along with the mother, were standing on the snow and dirt surrounding the lake, trying to throw a rope across to the kid.

The parents were distraught, crying but trying to look brave for their son. "We're too heavy for the ice, we can't get near him!"

Tony knew immediately that Peter would volunteer, and his heart began screaming at him.

"No, Peter! It's too dangerous."

The teenager turned to him, face serious and unafraid. "I'm the only one light enough to get near him, and if I don't he'll fall in. I'm doing it."

Tony knew it was dangerous, but he also knew that it had to be done. He couldn't look those parents in the eye and tell them no, that they wouldn't help; and it was Peter, he would always be the willing hero. It was who he was. And Tony couldn't stop him.

He watched him tie the rope around himself, and grab another for the kid. Tony tried to remember all the dangerous things that Peter did on a daily basis. He swung from buildings, he fought bad guys, and ran into gun fights; he'd be fine, because he always was.

He put on a smile and patted him on the shoulder. "Okay, you got this. But be smart about it, stay low to the ground and-"

Peter smiled, relieved to have Tony's support, because Tony thought he could do it, and Tony was always right.

"Spread out my weight, I know. I passed my physics classes, remember? I know how to redistribute weight and force."

Tony nodded. "Like the polar bears and wolves do. Go get him, Pete."

The parents looked so relieved, they were practically crying all over again. The mother waved her arms around. "Oh, thank you so much! We didn't know what we were going to do, there's no service out here to call for help."

Tony frowned at that. "What?" If something went wrong, he wouldn't be able to contact anyone for help? But, no it wouldn't go wrong. It couldn't.

Peter tightened the rope around his waist, and started crossing the lake. He kept his body low, crouching, and spreading out his body weight so as not to crack the ice. Because of his senses, he could feel every shift of the surface beneath him, and hear the cracks and fissures running through it. It was terrifying but also helpful, and he crawled to the kid on his tummy.

Once he was close enough, he called out to him, smiling at that terrified, crying boy.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay, I'm going to bring you back to your parents. What's your name?"

The poor kid was so scared, he shook all over, trying not to move. "T-tyler."

Peter smiled. "Hey, Tyler. My names Peter. I know your scared right now, but everything's going to be fine. I just need you to stay really still. Can you do that?"

The kid nodded, and Peter felt the ice rumble just a little. He feigned calm, as he studied the lines in the ice beneath Tyler's feet. He'd have to be quick, and do his best not to disrupt the surface any more than he already had.

"I'm going to give you this rope, and you're going to put it around your waist, just like my one, do you understand? But you can't move too much when you do it."

The kid nodded, and Peter carefully handed him the rope. Peter could hear the ice shifting, as Tyler's weight moved slightly, and his heart raced in his chest. They needed to hurry, but he couldn't risk rushing the kid, and having it mucked up.

Tyler got the rope around himself, and Peter let out a relieved breath. Now, even if they did fall in, they could be pulled out. Now, for the tricky bit.

"That's good buddy! Now, we need to move across the lake to get to your parents, but we need to be careful. Did you see the way I crawled over on my belly?"

The kid nodded, a little less scared now that Peter was there, and seemingly calm. "Like a penguin."

Peter could hear the fissures in the ice running across the surface, getting bigger. They needed to move.

"Yeah, just like that! So, slowly, get down on your tummy and we can crawl back to your mom and dad like penguins."

It would have worked, had the kid known about spreading your weight, and distributing force. But he was eight, how was he to know?

He crouched down, carefully, and started moving across the ice, towards Peter, on his tummy just like he was supposed to. But he wasn't slow, and he wasn't really spreading his weight out, he was pressing it all onto his hands and knees, and the ice couldn't take it.

Peter heard the groans and snaps as the ice began to crack and crumble, and he quickly pushed Tyler across the lake with all his strength as he called out to the parents, holding the rope.

"Pull him in!" The kid slid across the surface of the lake, and his parents began pulling his rope to reel him in, but Peter didn't get the chance to save himself, because before he could take another breath, the ice gave way, and he fell.

The water was like a thousand tiny needles in his skin, and the shock of cold made him gasp out all the air in his lungs. He was momentarily blind, bubbles exploding all around him, as his limbs instinctively flailed, trying to swim to the surface.

Amid the sounds of the water, ice, and his own heartbeat, thundering in his ears, he could hear yelling.

"Peter!"

"We'll pull you out!"

The rope around his waist began to tighten and tug, dragging him upwards, to the surface of the lake. Peter was so cold his limbs were simultaneously numb and on fire, but he did his best to kick and drag himself towards air.

The light was so bright, as Peter surfaced, and he pulled in a deep breath of air, only for it to be forced out again as he started coughing.

He could hear Tony yelling for him, but Peter was so cold, his body wracked with shivers and coughs, that he couldn't do much more than curl into a ball and drag in air.

"Peter! We'll pull you in, but you need to spread yourself out and crawl, so you don't fall in again! You can do it!"

He didn't want to move, he didn't know if he could, he was shaking so badly, his body curling in on itself to conserve heat. But he needed to; if he wanted to get back to safety, he had to move.

Peter lifted his head, and looked towards where Tony was standing on the shore. He was holding Peters rope, as was Tyler's father, while the mother was holding her child. They were all waiting for him, he could do it.

His muscles screamed at him, and his skin burned from where the cold air struck it, but he moved. He uncurled himself and rolled onto his stomach, stretching out his arms and spreading out his weight. Tony and the father started pulling, helping him crawl to safety, and it felt like forever before he got there.

Tony was rambling nonsense encouragements, repeating things over and over, to try and urge Peter forward, when all the teenager wanted to do was curl up into a ball.

When he finally reached the shore, Tony let go of the rope and dragged him up into his arms, as Peter dripped water everywhere.

The father of the kid pulled the rope off from around him, and frowned at Peter's blue lips.

"You need to get to a hospital."

Tony nodded, cursing the lack of phone service, and began dragging Peter to the car; the poor kid's legs were numb beneath him and his hands wouldn't open to let him hold onto Tony.

"I can't drive and take care of him at the same time."

The father looked to the mother, the woman nodding as she held her son, and the man turned back to them. "I'll drive your car with you, and my wife will take ours behind."

Tony nodded gratefully, as they all began hurrying to the vehicles. Once there, Tony pulled himself and Peter into the back, while the father took the driver's seat and started the car, turning up the heat as far as it could go.

Tony lay Peter down on the back stretch-seat, but the kid was curling up, and he lay a hand on his chest as he looked at him. "Pete, we need to get you out of these wet clothes and warm you up."

The teenager nodded as much as he could, but was too cold to help. Tony was just grateful they'd thought to bring extra clothing, and quickly began pulling at Peter's jacket.

It was slow and difficult to pull Peter's clothes from him, while he was shaking so badly, and his skin was so sensitive that it felt like sandpaper every time Tony tried to dry him with a spare towel. Little noises of discomfort slipped past Peter's blue lips, and Tony felt his heart break with each whimper.

"I'm sorry, kid, I'm sorry. I have to."

He did his best to be quick about it, and soon had Peter in a pair of comfy sweat pants and a hoodie, talking softly to him while rubbing a towel over his hair.

"You'll be okay, you'll start to feel better soon."

Once his hair was as dry as it was going to get, Tony slipped his arms under the teenager and lifted him into his lap, holding him to his chest. Peter was still shivering so violently, that it started shaking Tony, and he hugged him close.

The kid looked awful, face pale, with his dark loops of hair stuck back on his forehead. His lips were still blue, as was the tip of his nose and his fingers, and Tony was getting increasingly worried.

"Everything's going to be all right, we'll get you to Bruce and he can take care of you. We'll get you into bed and warm you up, and then we'll watch any movies you want okay? Just hang on."

Peter didn't reply, unable to with his jaw clenching so hard from the shivers, and he simply blinked up at Tony, trusting him completely. But his eyes were drooping, and the shivers were slowing down. Which, as cold as he was, wasn't a good sign.

It meant that hypothermia was setting in, and the body had stopped shivering to conserve energy, Peter was fading, and if he fell asleep he may not wake up.

"Peter? No, no, no stay awake, kid, come on!"

He cradled Peter with one arm, and used the other to place two fingers at his throat, feeling the slowing thump of his heart.

"Shit, Peter, stay with me."

But he wasn't warming up, his body couldn't get rid of the ice that invaded his bones, his core too cold to thaw out.

Tony quickly unzipped Peter's hoodie, and opened his own jacket, hastily pressing the kids bare, pale chest, to his. He used one arm to pull a blanket from the ground, wrapping it around the two of them as best he could with one hand, to keep the warmth in their little blanket burrito.

Peter lay limp in his arms, as he pressed him close, Peter's curled hands laying between them. Tony picked up one of the ice cold hands and brought it to his mouth, breathing on the curled, blue fingers, and pressing them to his cheek.

"You're okay, I got you. I'm here Peter, focus on me and keep those eyes open. I'm right here."

Peter's tired eyes watched him, blinking slowly, and doing everything he could to stay awake. He was scared, and in pain, and he felt like his bones were made of ice, but Tony was there, and that meant he was safe. He would be okay, because Tony told him he would be.

It was a long drive to the nearest hospital, too long, and Peter's eyes were getting heavier and heavier, his breaths slowing and becoming shallower.

Tony noticed the way Peter's chest rose and fell in short, uneven, bursts, against his, and held the kid closer, pressing his face to Peter's hair and whispering to him, his breath warming him just a little.

"I've got you, kid. Just stay with me. Please, Peter, stay awake, keep breathing. You can do it Spider-man."

Tony held the kid so close, he never wanted to let go, never wanted to let anything hurt him again, but when he pulled back he saw Peter's eyes had slid shut.

"No! Peter, wake up! Don't do this to me!"

The little boy's father stopped the car, announcing their arrival to the hospital, but Tony didn't even notice him get out and call for help, he didn't notice the change in scenery, because Peter wasn't moving.

The kid was so pale, and his lips so blue, Tony had to place a hand on his chest to be sure he was still breathing and alive, because he certainly didn't look it.

He held his breath as he spread his fingers over Peter's breastbone, hoping, begging, that he would be okay. He almost didn't find it, almost died inside, but finally there, under his fingertips, was the faint beating of a stubborn heart, and the stuttered rise and fall of his chest.

He barely had time to be grateful before the doors of the car were opening and people were reaching in to pull Peter out. Tony's first instinct was to hold him closer, to protect him from the oncoming harm, but he quickly realized he needed to let go.

He didn't want to, Peter looked so vulnerable and small, but he reluctantly handed him over to the medical professionals, watching them set the boy down on a gurney and wheel him inside.

Tony sprinted behind them, unwilling to leave Peter, even as nurses urged him to wait outside.

It was a bustle of movement and noise, and he stood back against the wall, as he watched them work. They yelled things, and placed an IV, putting a ambu bag over Peter's mouth and nose to encourage him to breathe.

"I need warm saline, and heating blankets!"

"His oxygen sat's too low."

"Heart rate is too."

Tony didn't know what it all meant, all the numbers and acronyms they rattled off, but he knew Peter was in good hands. Still, there was someone who could do better, and Tony silently apologized to Peter for having to leave for just a moment.

He found a nurse at a desk, and wiped a hand over his face as he spoke to her, tired and worried. "I need to organise a patient transfer."

The hospital staff were happy, insisting that he shouldn't be moved, especially not to a hospital that they'd never heard of.

"I told you, it's a special facility that is better suited to his needs. He has a lot of…health…issues…that you won't be able to handle. His doctor has already set up everything he needs there, and he's going to meet us on the jet to take care of Peter during the transfer."

The woman frowned and shook her head. "I can't authorise that. He's a minor, and without a parent or legal guardian's permission, I can't let you take him anywhere. Are you his father?"

It didn't take Tony long to answer. He would have said anything in order to get Peter to where he needed to be, but it wasn't really a lie anyway. Peter was like a son to him in every way that mattered, and although blood and…legally, Peter wasn't his kid, Tony sure damn loved him like one.

"Yes, I'm his father. Now, let me take him home, where he can receive proper treatment."

It didn't take Bruce long to arrive, and Peter was quickly loaded onto the private jet, and brought to the compound. Tony held his hand the entire way, watching closely over him as he lay unconscious, and refused to leave him once they got back to the Avengers base.

Bruce was a lot calmer than the nurses had been, and quickly hooked up the all necessary equipment. By the time he'd finished, Peter was breathing better, with an oxygen mask of warmed air, a line of heated saline, and heating blankets over him.

Tony sat beside his bed and brushed the teenager's hair back on his forehead, thanking Bruce profusely for the fact that Peter was no longer blue.

"The nurses at that hospital did their best, but they just don't know Peter like I do. Regularly the hypothermia wouldn't be quite so severe, but because of Peter's powers, especially where he got them from, it was more aggressive, and they wouldn't have been able to warm him up with normal means. For one, they wouldn't usually use such high heat with him, but Peter always runs warmer than other anyway."

Tony looked up at his friend. "Wait, what are you talking about? What does it matter where he got his powers?"

Bruce pushed his glasses up his nose and looked a little embarrassed. "It sounds sort of ridiculous, but spiders typically don't do so well in the winter. They tend to die pretty quickly in colder temperatures, so Peter may not have been able to warm up after his core temperature was so quickly brought down to that level. But you acted fast, and did everything right. You saved him, Tony."

The mechanic looked back down to the teenager in the bed, unable to chase away his concern.

"Is he really okay?"

Bruce swiped at some screens, showing x-rays and scans.

"His chest is clear, so he didn't swallow any water, and he didn't sustain any injuries from the fall, other than some minor bruising. He's okay, Tony, I promise."

But he couldn't be, Tony was still feeling shaky and sick with worry. "Then why hasn't he woken up yet?"

Bruce was about to answer, when Peter's hand curled in Tony's hold. Those, now thankfully, pink fingers were weak but they squeezed Tony's, and he held his breath in anticipation.

"Peter? Open your eyes bud, let me know you're okay."

He watched closely, leaning in as he waited, until those bright eyes blinked open, and Peter let out a groan.

"hmm…I'm o…kay."

Tony's breath left him in a rush of relief and he pulled Peter into a careful hug. "Oh, thank god, I was so worried. When you disappeared into that lake, I felt like my heart had fallen out of my ass."

Peter let out a small laugh and hugged Tony back, begin careful of the needles still in his arms. "Gross."

Tony squeezed him for a second longer, closing his eyes and just relishing in the fact that his kid was safe. "Don't ever do that to me again."

He gently lay Peter back down, as the teenager smiled, voice quiet and tired. "I don't plan on falling into anymore frozen lakes anytime soon. How's the kid? How's Tyler?"

Tony resisted the urge to roll his eyes, because of course that would be Peter's first concern; not where he was or whether he himself was okay; nope some stranger he met for twelve seconds.

"He's fine, they had some nurses check him over, back at the hospital, and he doesn't even have a scratch on him. You saved him, Pete, and his parents are so grateful they were calling you a hero and telling anyone who'd listen. But I almost don't even care about them, because you almost died. I'm just glad you aren't blue anymore. You seriously scared the crap out of me. We can't even go on a boring fishing trip without you saving someone."

Peter smiled softly, his eyes bright and innocent as they always were. "I thought this year's Father's day would be horrible, since it's my first without Uncle Ben-"

Tony made a face and waved a hand in exasperation. "It was horrible! You almost died!"

Peter laughed again, before his tone grew more serious, although it never lost its sweetness.

"Yes, but I didn't. And, Father's day might kind of suck most of the time, but I really liked spending it with you."

Well, fuck. Tony's heart melted into a puddle in his chest, and he smiled, brushing Peter's hair back.

"Me too, kid. But next year, let's go somewhere warm."


End file.
